When is a joke not a joke...
Learn, draw, fret, repeat 🤯
Hi friends,
I’ve been diving into everything from disinformation, to AI, to the universe while continuing my fellowship at Stanford.
Somehow, everything I’m studying is linked — and it all ties into the upcoming decision point for the United States. (Also known as “election.”😬)
And, yes, I am still managing to find time to draw cartoons!
First up, a cartoon I drew following the recent double-hit hurricanes that were followed by a dangerous mix of misinformation and armed threats.
Incredibly, garbage conspiracy theories that were spawned in the nether reaches of the internet worked their way to America’s top conspiracy theorist, Donald Trump, who pumped out multiple falsehoods.
This misinformation goes both ways, and creates a feedback loop of lies as we saw with the they’re-coming-to-eat-your-pets story.
Amid all of this, I’m still baffled by how this election can appear to be so close!
Yes, polls can be wrong, but it sure seems like there really are millions of people in this country who support Donald Trump.
Political columnist Jonathan Chait of New York Magazine made a good observation.
Trump supporters can be divided into followers who are full-throated believers in his mission, no matter how extreme . . . and secondly, followers who are a little embarrassed and chalk up the insanity to bluster and hyperbole.
I’m looking at you, Gordon Sondland! (This NPR interview had me screaming at the radio, be advised.)
A special place in Hell awaits people like Sondland, and Graham, and Vance, etc. etc.
Which led me to draw this cartoon . . .
Speaking as someone who would be proud to be called an “enemy within” by Trump, if he gets back in power, that designation may actually mean something.
He is clearly making a list and checking it twice . . . and he is not joking.
Journalism is already a fragile enough profession, with Trump promising to “straighten out the press” things could get really, really bad.
To say nothing of immigrants, who would probably be the first ones in the Dancer-in-Chief’s crosshairs.
As you can tell, I’m a little worried.
Now let’s do everything we can to prevent calamity in our country . . . which at very least means voting for people who are not named Trump.
See you back here soon with more cartoons and writin’!
-Mark
Just a little anecdote about Gordon Sondland:
There was an ice storm which knocked out power in the Portland, Oregon neighborhood where he lived. He checked in on his neighbors and offered them free rooms at his (posh and expensive) hotel to ride out the storm. Granted, those neighbors were mostly(but not all) very wealthy as well, but that doesn't negate the fact that he was being a good and caring neighbor. We on the "left" are just as quick to label people as the "other" and lose sight of their humanity.
That said, I do agree with you that anyone betting that what Trump is saying is just bluster and hyperbole is playing with fire.
That guy is such a joke. He lives in my city and Portland is not "destroyed". But anyone with a brain knew better than to work at his crappy hotel. I work remotely, live downtown, and it is fine, there are plenty of businesses. Since he dislikes it so much he should feel free to relocate. Being progressive is still considered a compliment here for a majority of us. Orange man scares the crap out of me just by having a bit of an outspoken social media presence and being too poor to leave the country. He HAS to lose, people are freaking.